Weeks had gone by since Varin was attacked by a trio of Tuk’ata. A small hunting party scrounging for unsuspecting prey. He bore new scars on his back and shoulder from the incident. Ever since he had gotten back he did as much research as he could on hunting these creatures. Most hunts ended in the death of the hunter turned prey by these creatures.
They are incredibly intelligent and capable of learning their prey as they hunt them. Guardians of old temples and grave sites of ancient Sith Lords. Varin had been challenged by an alpha, where most students would see it as a threat, Varin took it as an honor. These creatures don’t merely hunt for food. From his research they don't necessarily have to eat, at least not for long periods of time. More than likely they felt the dark presence seep into the old Ashlan temple as Varin was trying to corrupt it for his own means.
One by one he let each badawan know that he was leaving for a small trip. He would likely be back within a few days. That WAS the plan, but we all know not all plans always happen accordingly.
He set up camp in his temple first, to pray and tap into his inner self. The darkness that pulled his inner warrior forth. No fear, no pain, less need for sustenance. He could fast through the force for weeks if he needed to. In truth, he would prefer this. It would only make him more hungry for victory over this beast. He too would become a rabid animal ready to lay claim to what is his and dominate his opponent.
He mixed some potent flora and other concoctions in order to make a special serum from his home planet. Said to enhance all five senses, amplify tracking. The process is slow and tedious, but one misstep could equate in death.
His plan would be to travel only at night. He first noticed they plan to ambush when they attack, sometimes opting for frontal assaults. Usually in the second case it's a ploy for a flanking attack. Packing his things he slipped the serum in his shoulder bag and began his journey.
The days ran hot as the nights ran cold. Perfect to keep him moving when he needed to traverse. By the second week he began to walk as if he was wounded. Slowing his gate, walking with a limp, dragging an arm by his side, occasionally stumbling. This was far from the truth as The Force sustained him. He had become extremely talented at fasting thanks to his fathers punishing training.
As he traversed on this fateful night, he caught a scent. A similar scent from his first altercation with these beasts. He scanned the horizon as he grabbed his serum. Quickly he injected it into his neck. A jolt ran his spine back and forth, his muscles stiffened like a full body cramp, and for a moment that felt like an eternity to him, he was worried he mixed it wrong and that he may never come back to Kor’ethyr.
He collapsed onto his hands and knees and retched. As his body began to amplify he could hear distant footfalls. His breathing quickened as he grunted with each breath like a rabid animal. His gaze shot to his left as he saw a singular Tuk’ata on a nearby ridge. Its eyes burrowed through Varin even at a great distance. It held a sentience to it, something far older than himself.
Boy…That's the one…
Varin snarled as he began to sprint towards the ridge, his speed amplified from the serum. With a growl he hurled himself onto the stone wall of the cliff's edge burrowing his fingers deep into the stone. Quickly he began clawing his way up the cliff towards the creature. Still it stood glaring at him. Quickly he came up to the edge hurling himself up to face the creature that was no longer in sight. All he could see was a massive cavern surrounded by massive stalagmites and stalactites, the night lighting showing in various shades of grey to his enhanced vision.
He gazed around him, scenting the air, baring his teeth giving his face a rabid animal like demeanor. He would not be using his saber or his mace for this fight. It would be dishonorable to the Tuk’ata and to Varin’s hunt.
A few rocks fell near him and his gaze shot towards the sound, nothing. He could hear its breathing reverberate from the rocky walls around him.
“Show yourself!”
He demanded as he slammed his fist into a nearby pillar of rock cracking it. One by one he saw pairs of glowing red eyes illuminate all around hims. Two pairs turned to four, to eight, to sixteen and further. The number was uncountable as they also moved around.
Finally, the alpha showed itself. Standing on a stone platform that towered over the rest of the pack, its shadow swallowed Varin's body.
...Meat! Precious meat. You come to my court! My home! And you challenge me?
The creature spoke into Varin’s mind as it chuckled.
It pounced off of its platform and began circling Varin, sniffing in his scent.
“You don’t smell like fear…Perhaps it's the stench of foolishness.”
Its voice growled as it stopped behind him. Varin never took his attention off of him, but unfortunately that was his first mistake.
From out of nowhere one hound pounced towards Varin sinking its teeth in his arm, growling and thrashing its head.
Varin yelled in pain as the force hardened his body to reduce the damage, but some of it had already been done as his arm began to bleed. Thinking quickly Varin drove his other fist repeatedly into the hounds nose to no avail.
“Get off of me creature!”
The young apprentice wrapped his fingers around the creature's throat and with a wet rip yanked its tongue out from its neck and jaw. It fell to the ground choking on its own fluids as Varin grabbed it and hurled it off the cliff. The yelping of the creature soon became silent as Varin was attacked by two more hounds.
One latched onto his back as another Snapped for his heel. Quickly Varin pulled his leg up and stomped down on the base of the creature's skull severing its spine. With a roar Varin's back grew ablaze and began cooking the one on his back, similar to before.
The beast leapt off its back with a pained whine, but Varin gripped its leg in midair and drove its momentum hard to the stoney floor with a wet squelch.
“MORE GIVE ME BLOOD GIVE ME MORE!”
His voice was no longer his own as his vision began to bleed red. Now he pounced towards the alpha driving his shoulder into its throat. The alpha bit down on Varin's shoulder, its teeth however finding no purchase on his enhanced skin. Only a slight pierce was shown as he tackled the beast through a pillar.
Varin standing above the creature began slamming his fists into the alpha’s face. The alpha responded by trying to swallow Varin’s fist clamping its jaws on his wrist and trying to thrash. Varin let out a roar and drove the engulfed fist deeper into its throat.
“HAVE SOME MORE!”
Quickly he grabbed its tongue and jerked him back up into his other fist slamming the creature face first into the ground. Varin stood above it breathing heavily before he wrapped his arms around its ribs, its spike piercing his skin but just missing vitals as he hoisted the creature up and behind him into a suplex. The impact cracked the stoney floor and shook the cavern.
Blood ran down Varin’s body as his back flared with a more violent flame. His wounds slowly started to cauterize itself.
“WE ARE NOT DONE!”
He roared at the alpha as he produced flame in his hands, slowly the fires ran up his arms.
“I want more blood from you!”
He gripped the alpha's throat as its flesh began to sizzle causing the creature to howl in pain with a bestial voice.
“ENOUGH!”
Quickly it swiped at Varin’s face, Varin just barely dodged the claws thanks to the serum as the creature broke from his grip. The alpha then pounced back on Varin pinning him to the floor. The toll of the serum was beginning to show as his body’s response began to slow and his strength began to waver, his force enhanced defense began to short as well as the alpha's claws began to sever into his arms. It let out a roar in his face, a show of dominance.
Varin roared back in its face as the pain set in, glaring the creature down. Varin tapped deep into his primal rage as his throat began to burn. In a quick burst purple lightning shot forth from his mouth and into the alphas face.
The creature convulsed as its vision was permanently blinded and quickly it leapt off of Varin in a pained hiss. Slowly Varin rose to his feet. He glared at the alpha, his breathing ragged and quick. With a final roar Varin charged into the wounded creature wrapping his arms around its body and began pushing it towards the cliff edge. Its claws dug deep into the stone as he struggled. Quickly Varin drove his elbow into the creature's ribs, a loud crack echoed in the chamber as the breath was driven out of the alpha. Using this moment Varin did one final push. His feet found purchase on the cliff's edge as he drove forward.
In the next moment, time seemed to slow as he and the creature fell off the deep cliff towards the sandy floor below. Varin pulled himself over the creature in hopes it would cushion the blow, and then…..blackness.
A deep breath escaped Varin's chest as he coughed and sat up. The morning had shone brightly in his eyes, and at his foot he could feel a small tug. Quickly he sat up and he saw a small creature quickly run away from him and behind the corpse of the alpha.
A pained groan escaped Varin’s lips as he began to stand up.
“Come on out. I saw you.”
His voice was weak and rasped from the strain of what he assumed was the night prior. Slowly he made his way to the large corpse and behind it was a small Tuk’ata pup. The creature had started feeding off the corpse of the alpha for sustenance. The sight stunned Varin. It looked like the creature was about to start on him next. He looked at the pup's bloodied maw and knelt down beside it.
“You do what you can to survive out here. I certainly hope you make it, little one. And hopefully you’ll be smarter than that one.”
He gestured to the corpse of the alpha. The pup bared its teeth and stood before Varin, growling and snarling. It was quite cute, he silently admitted to himself. The pup had fight in him, and for some reason that resonated with the boy.
“Maybe one day you and I could fight.”
He turned away from the creature and began to limp back through the desert. He made it about a few feet before he heard the creature scampering behind him.
He turned around to see the little pup catching up to him.
“Go! Go home, I don’t have anything for you!”
He waved his hands towards the pup as he began to walk down the sandy paths again. And again he heard the scampering behind him. Letting out a frustrated sigh.
“I don’t have any food for you! And you certainly can’t eat me!”
Boy, It sees you as it’s alpha now.
Varin’s eyes widened.
“What?! No no no no, the pup is NOT coming with me!”
Pick up the pup boy
Varin growled at Ignati’s words.
“I CAN’T TAKE HIM WITH ME HOW COULD I-”
Pick. Him. Up….
Varin paused and let out a frustrated grunt.
“Now it's him now huh? Fine. But if I get in trouble it’s YOUR ass not mine!”
Ignati chuckled.
You could do good with some responsibility, besides, if you can’t take care of this pup…then how do you think you’d fare about retaking your father’s throne?
Varin stopped dead in his tracks, silent for a long moment. His brow furrowed as a frown came to his lips. A soft sigh left his lips.
“You’re right, I guess.”
Slowly Varin knelt down and offered his hand to the pup. Cautiously the pup waddled towards Varin sniffing his hand, the creature was covered in blood and…
Sinew…..Such an adorable name for the pup!
Varin scowled.
“Yeah you would think that's adorable. Fine, Sinew it is.”
He looked down at the creature with slight disdain, but something about its eyes and curiosity broke Varin’s walls. Almost like he couldn't say no to the little thing. That is until it nipped his finger. Varin cursed to himself as he jerked his hand back.
“First things first…I guess we have to work on your table manners.”
Slowly he led the pup back towards Kor’ethyr’s gates where he stowed it into his bag to get past security…past the…..hutt slug.
The sight of such a creature always made Varin shiver with disgust. But a thought ran through his mind, what would a physically fit or muscled Hutt look like? The thought perplexed the boy until he finally made it back to his quarters. Sneaking the pup into his room. It didn’t look like Lys was home which made concealing little Sinew all the more easy until he could figure out what he wanted to do for a living situation. Before he could even think about that however, he collapsed on his bed as sleep finally began to take him for the day. The journey took a lot longer than he planned. Turning the couple day trip into a few weeks.
But he was happy to finally be home. First thing he would do before anything else after he woke up would be to have a smoke and a massive bantha steak with his badawan family.
